Social Media Savvy

Organisations need to be increasingly social media savvy, to share and communicate in a relevant fashion with their stakeholders.

Social media can seem like a minefield to many of us – tweets, retweets, likes, shares, pokes, instagrams, favourites, recommends, endorsements, and so the list goes on. It could be a full-time job to keep on top of it. But in reality a well-planned social media strategy will reduce the time you spend on social media in the long run, and ensure that your investment delivers results.

First and foremost, agree why you want to engage on social media - or confirm why you are already doing it. Then begin to define your own rules of engagement in the perfect world. Finally, figure out what the best space is for you to occupy, blending the needs of your organisation including available resources, with the needs of your social media audiences.

Don’t be fooled by the ‘social’ in ‘social media’. It’s one of the most effective ways for businesses and organisations to communicate in a meaningful and real time way with the people who matter to them. More importantly, you get to connect directly with people who are interested in you. Whether that interest is positive or negative, it’s a way to have the conversations online that people would be having with others offline.

While social media may be one of the best communication tools, it's only effective if synchronised with your overarching communications strategy. Using social media makes your organisation timely and relevant, and allows you to share a space with the people you are trying to connect with instead of just talking at them.

A 2015 survey from the Pew Research Centre shows four in ten American adults get their news on Facebook, while one in ten get their news on Twitter. However, most of us do not see social media as an essential news source. In a time of crisis, Facebook and Twitter are effective communication channels for regular and relevant news updates to the media and the public. Each also enables an organisation to hear the questions and concerns of the public directly, and to respond to them.

During power outages, civil defence emergencies and other major events when people want information immediately, Twitter provides immediate updates that websites and call centres can't provide in the same way. As a tool to connect with the cliques that make up your most ardent supporters, it's almost certain that representatives of those cliques will also be avid social media users.

The Clique can assist your organisation with social media as part of an integrated communications strategy.